continuing with Women in History..

Midwife, teacher, and author, Trotula di Ruggerio’s treatise on gynecology, Passionibus Mulierum Curandorum (The Diseases of Women), in which she identified herself as a woman, was used in medical schools for centuries. Long regarded as one of the preeminent medieval scientists, Trotula lost her place in the history of medicine only in the beginning of the 20th century when historians became unable to accept that such a woman could exist in eleventh-century Italy.

Trotula wrote with disarming frankness about gynecology, obstetrics, cosmetics, and skin disease in a sensible and humane manner. Passionibus Mulierum was far ahead of her contemporaries’ practices when discussing surgery, analgesics, and the care of the mother and child during the post-partum period. Her topics included the need for cleanliness, a balanced diet, and regular exercise, warned of the effects of emotional stress, and discussed birth control, problems of infertility, male infertility (a scandalous subject in itself), sewing (and avoiding) tears suffered in childbirth, repositioning a baby during a breech birth, and the problems of sex and celibacy.

She pioneered the use of hormonal treatments (derived from animal testicles) to cure infertility and to regulate menstruation. She also recommended the use of opiates to relieve pain during childbirth. The Catholic Church strongly opposed this, saying that women should suffer while giving birth. Trotula is perhaps most famous for finding several methods to simulate the loss of the hymen on the wedding night. One method was to apply a leech the day before the wedding and to remove it shortly before consummation.

Unlike many other works of the period, her cures rarely include prayers, incantations, astrology, or other forms of blatant superstition. She was married to a doctor named John Platearius. They had two sons, Matteo and John, who also became doctors. During her life, Trotula was referred to as Magistra Mulier Sapiens - “The wise woman teacher.” Trotula’s other book, De Aegritudinum Curatione, or De Ornatu Mulierum was commonly known as Trotula Minor. Despite a first hand account by Constantine of Africa describing her performance of a caesarian delivery of his son some scholars dispute that Trotula was a woman, or that she even existed.

Source: Hypatia’s Heritage, A History of Women in Science from Antiquity through the Nineteenth Century by Margaret Alic

for more Women in History check out Peskymac’s site.

I have to admit that right now I’m using notes and articles I compiled and wrote last year and just never published. So I’m not working nearly as hard as it seems on this. Also, I’m not doing much editing so sorry if the writing’s choppy.